When Bhavan first contacted me to photograph her Engagement Ceremony to Jessy, I was honestly beyond excited about the idea. Indian weddings is an area of photography that I’ve been wanting to have a taste of for a long time. Much of my fascination had been with the vibrant color, the myriad of beautiful details, and the sparkle of the jewelery, clothes and shoes. What I wasn’t prepared for was the amount of tradition, history and meaning everything has. Literally, everything that happened all day had specific significance. I was mesmerized, and a bit overwhelmed. Thankfully, Jessy’s sister Jasmin was super amazing and quite willing to keep me up to date on what was going on. Thanks SO much, Jasmin! My friend Rose of Simply Rose Photography came out from Vancouver to help me capture all the moments of this amazing day. I loved every minute, and went home a tired but really happy photographer. I would love to shoot more Indian events, just throwing that out there…. lol.
Now that you have officially met Bhavan and Jessy (they are such a stunning couple), I’ll start from the beginning of the day…



When the Bhavan’s family arrived, they were greeted and welcomed officially by Jessy’s family in a ceremony that includes opening the front door of their home to the bride’s family, spilling oil (I think) on the doorpost, and warm greetings…
…followed by a welcome meal. As an aside, there was a general dinner later on, and I have to say, the food was sssoooooooooooo good! Authentic, savory, spicy, aromatic, succulent Indian food… yummy!
After the dinner, the formal Engagement ceremony started. Below are a few of the moments, including introducing the Bride-to-Be, prayer, giving of gifts, and presentation of the ring.

Bhavan looked like royalty… so gorgeous!







We found a bit of time to do a quick Engagement Session. The outdoor portraits were shot in Jessy’s parent’s front yard.








Bhavan’s family had to head back to Vancouver later in the afternoon, but Jessy’s family stayed to dance and celebrate, and I’ve heard since that they danced the night away. I have to admit that if I wasn’t working I would have been tempted to join in. Their music is SO fun and fast and (just the way I like it) loud.


by Lisa
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